


playing chicken

by sleeponrooftops



Series: raising webhead: a parenting guide, attempted by the science boyfriends [45]
Category: Iron Man - All Media Types, Marvel, Spider-Man - All Media Types, The Incredible Hulk - All Media Types
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-07-28
Updated: 2013-07-28
Packaged: 2017-12-21 14:24:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,115
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/901319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeponrooftops/pseuds/sleeponrooftops
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony and Bruce notice something interesting happening, and they decide to get Peter’s thoughts on it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	playing chicken

_Three months later._

_July, 2024_

Peter leaves his things in the elevator, telling Jarvis to leave it open, before he jogs down the hall and lets himself into the lab.  He leans around the door and calls inside, “I’m leaving for the beach!  Are you _sure_ you don’t want to come?”

 

“Not entirely!” Tony’s voice rings out from somewhere deep in the lab.

 

Peter steps inside, trying to find him, or Bruce, but he can’t spot either of them, so he sighs and says, “Are you coming or not?”

 

“When are you leaving?”

 

“Right now!”

 

Tony swears, Bruce shouts in pain, and then Tony’s emerging, a box balanced on his shoulder.  “That was my _foot_ ,” Bruce whines, coming out behind him, carrying another box.  “Peter,” he says when he spots him, “Is ten minutes too long?”

 

“No, I’ll go down and tell the guys you’re coming.”

 

“Is anyone else going?”

 

“Uncle Steve and a woman he claims to have been dating for nearly a year now, Sharon, and I think Uncle Reed and Auntie Sue, and maybe Flash’s sister and two of her friends?  Jarvis, is Jesse downstairs?”

 

“Yes, sir.”

 

“Jesse and two of her friends are coming, too,” Peter amends before he steps back out into the hallway, calling behind him, “Ten minutes!”

 

Before long, they’re all heading out, piled into two SUVs, and the trip to the beach is loud and fun, everyone talking and occasionally singing along with the radio and planning out what they’re going to do.  When they finally get there, Reed, Tony, and Bruce set up camp while Steve, Sharon, and Sue try to get everyone to put on sunscreen, and then the kids are running off, giggling and screaming, making for the water.  The adults follow more slowly, and, while Sharon coaxes Steve in, Tony makes a face at the water, and so Bruce just laughs and stands with him, knee-deep; Sue and Reed are back up at the camp, relaxing in the sun.

 

“Remember trying to teach him how to swim?” Tony murmurs, looping his arms around Bruce and dropping his chin to his shoulder.

 

“Oh god,” Bruce laughs, leaning his head against Tony’s, “That was awful.  We always thought he’d love it, what with being near fish and all, but he couldn’t get over the idea of drowning.”

 

“And look at him now,” Tony says, watching Peter cackle as he manages to dunk Johnny under the water.  Johnny surfaces, tackling Peter, and they fight in the water for a bit until he gets in under Peter and stands, triumphant, with Peter on his shoulders.

 

“Dude, _yes_!” Flash exclaims, waving Gwen over, who shrieks when Flash lifts her up, and then they’re playing chicken, which ends in Peter in the water, and Johnny and Flash rolling their eyes at him.  Jesse claims a turn against Flash, so Johnny gets in under Flash, and Peter gives Gwen a quick kiss before going to lift Jesse.

 

“They’re cute,” Bruce murmurs, watching Gwen cheer Peter and Jesse on.  When that’s done, Peter goes over to Gwen, tugging her close to him, and she giggles, kissing him on the cheek.  Johnny shows up, splashing wildly, and Bruce sighs, “Do you think Peter will ever realize why Johnny doesn’t let him do things without him?”

 

“No,” Tony says, “And that’s why.”  Bruce follows his gaze to where Peter is chasing him through the water.

 

“Do you think we should talk to him about liking men as well as women?”

 

“I mean, it wouldn’t be a bad idea,” Tony says, kissing Bruce’s shoulder before he straightens away, standing next to him, “We’re both experienced in that, it wouldn’t hurt.”

 

“Tonight, then, if you’re not busy.”

 

“Hey, I’m not the one that decided he wanted to build a new sensor,” Tony teases, so Bruce sets about trying to push him into the water.

 

Later, after they’ve spent the day and much of the following evening at the beach, they finally disperse, dropping everyone at their respective homes until it’s just the three of them, the superfamily, heading up to their floor.  When they get upstairs, Peter makes for his bedroom, calling over his shoulder, “I’m gonna take a shower.  Are we having dinner tonight?”

 

“Yeah, I’ll make something,” Bruce says, watching him go before he and Tony disappear into their own room to shower.  They wait until they’re all sitting for dinner, chatting about the day, before they bring it up, Bruce starting, “Peter, we were wondering if we could talk to you about something.”

 

“Am I in trouble?” he asks, looking at them warily.

 

“No, should you be?” Tony counters, and Peter sticks his tongue out at him.

 

“What’s up?” he asks, opening up.

 

“Just something we’ve noticed over time,” Bruce says, glancing at Tony, “Is there a chance that you maybe, uh—that you—well, like boys as well as girls?”

 

“First of all, you make it sound creepy,” Peter says, pointing his fork at Bruce, “And secondly, maybe, yeah.  Why?”

 

“That doesn’t freak you out at all?” Tony says, giving him a strange look.

 

“I mean, it did, kind of, when I realized, uhm—you know, back then, but—” he breaks off, looking down at his food.  He drops his fork onto his plate and takes an unsteady breath, pulling in his bottom lip to bite at it.  “Can I be excused?” he asks suddenly, not looking up.

 

“Peter,” Bruce says even as Tony says, “No.”

 

Peter lifts his head, his eyes filled and his mouth trembling.  He holds their gaze for a moment before scrubbing furiously at his face, wiping away tears that haven’t fallen, and he says, very quickly, “I figured it out after Wade left, and I was kind of freaked out, so I—I talked to my, uh—the menagerie.  They don’t talk back.”

 

“Ollie, too?” Tony says, and Peter looks at him like he wants to throw his dinner at him, so Tony hides his laugh behind his hand.

  
“Tony,” Bruce says, though now he’s fighting his own grin.

 

“You two are the worst,” Peter says, shaking his head and picking up his fork again, “But thanks.  I’m lucky to have you.”  Tony’s laugh falls away immediately, and they both look over at him, surprised.  Peter shrugs and says, “You may be really lame,” he pauses to smirk at Tony, “But you’re kind of the coolest parents I know, and I’m just—I’m really glad that you took me in.  I love you, dads.  Stop it,” he whines when Bruce sighs, smiling.

 

“Bruce, he loves us,” Tony says, smiling, as well, and Peter just groans loudly, dropping his head back so they won’t see his grin.


End file.
